No. 13 seed Dighton-Rehoboth softball routs Whitman-Hanson

If the first game is any indication, the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High softball team has certainly rounded into postseason form.

By Kevin R. LaBounty

The Taunton Daily Gazette, Taunton, MA

By Kevin R. LaBounty

Posted Jun. 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jun 1, 2012 at 1:03 AM

By Kevin R. LaBounty

Posted Jun. 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jun 1, 2012 at 1:03 AM

DIGHTON

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If the first game is any indication, the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High softball team has certainly rounded into postseason form.

Following an up and down, roller coaster ride of a regular season that ended with a 14-8 record, the 13th-seeded Falcons were running on all cylinders against 20th-seeded Whitman-Hanson on Thursday afternoon at Dighton-Rehoboth High.

The result was a 14-1 win over the Panthers in the preliminary round of the MIAA Division I South Sectional Tournament, a contest that was halted after 4 ½ innings because of the 12-run mercy rule.

The victory sends the Falcons (15-8) to the first round on Saturday against fourth-seeded Notre Dame Academy (13-3) at 3 p.m.

Even with junior standout catcher and third-place hitter Nicole Lundstrom being pitched around and walked three times, the Falcons were still able to bang out 11 hits.

Four Falcons finished with two hits each. Senior captain, center fielder and lead-off hitter Jill Rocha provided the springboard for a big offensive day for the hosts, cracking a home run to right-center field to get things started in the bottom of the first. She finished 2-for-3 with a single, home run, one RBI and two runs scored.

Senior captain and second baseman Hayley Terry went 2-for-3 with two singles, two RBI and one run scored. Sophomore shortstop Catie Noons was 2-for-3 with two singles, two RBI and one run.

Senior captain and starting pitcher Casey DeLeo was both a contributor and benefactor of the offensive explosion. At the plate, she went 2-for-2 with two singles, a walk and three RBI. Freshman Julie Araujo pinch ran for DeLeo on three occasions and scored all three times. On the mound, DeLeo pitched five innings to get the win. She surrendered one run and five hits, striking out three batters, walking one and hitting one.

“It was a total team effort,” Dighton-Rehoboth head coach Dave Driscoll said. “Casey pitched well and one through nine we swung the bats well. It was a good team effort. I’m a big believer in fundamentals. You need to pitch well, play good defense and make the opposition get you out on offense.”

The Falcons took control in the first. Rocha led off with her second homer of the season. Junior centerfielder Michele McDonald (two runs) was hit by a pitch and Lundstrom walked. A single down the right-field line by DeLeo scored McDonald to make it 2-0.

Junior designated player Bailey Morton sent a sacrifice fly to center to score sophomore pinch runner Rachel Aguiar (three runs) to push the lead to 3-0.

Junior third baseman Meg Duffy followed with a line-drive single to left to score Araujo and make it 4-0.

“For us, hitting is contagious,” Driscoll said. “Jill got that first big hit and it became contagious with the other kids. It put (Whitman-Hanson) on their heels right away. That is the best icebreaker there is, a player hitting a homer in your first at-bat of the game.”

Page 2 of 2 - The Falcons put the game out of reach with a seven-run uprising in the bottom of the second. D-R sent 11 batters to the plate, recording five hits and two walks. A two-run single to left by Terry scored Rocha and McDonald to push the lead to 6-0. A line-drive single to left by Morton scored Aguiar and made it 7-0.

One batter later, Noons cracked a single to left to score Araujo and increase the advantage to 8-0. Junior first baseman Kelsey Wood then cleared the bases, crushing a ball to left field for a triple that scored Morton, Duffy and Noons to make it 11-0.

In the bottom of the third, the Falcons scored their final three runs. A two-run, line-drive single to center by DeLeo scored Aguiar and Terry to make it 13-0. Noons concluded the scoring for the hosts by lacing a single to center field, which plated Araujo.

The Panthers scored their lone run in the top of the fourth inning.

“If I could have figured out what buttons to push to fix our problems during the regular season, I would have,” Driscoll said. “Our message to the kids has always been that every game is a new game. Now, it is a new season. We told the kids that if they are not happy with their record during the regular season, this is a brand-new beginning.”